Understanding the imprint of past human behavior on the landscape provides powerful analogies
for understanding the implications of human impact on the Earth system in the future.
Archaeology, historical documents, and palaeoenvironmental data provide a glimpse of how human
behavior has radically changed the face of the Earth in prehistory.

An approach emphasizing human interactions with the Earth system over time makes students aware
of the significant role that human behavior has had in shaping what we term, "natural
landscapes". Students have heard about impending global warming, but are often unaware of
the significant social and economic consequences of late Holocene climatic shifts, such as the
Little Ice Age. In this course design matrix, past, present, and future interactions of human
behaviors and the environment are featured, enabling students to begin to understand the
relevancy of current global climate research.

How to Use this Table

The following table shows a matrix for designing an Earth System Course focusing on the impact
of humans. Matrices are a good way to think about designing an Earth System course in that it
illuminates the relationships between typical topics in Earth science and the parts of the
Earth system. This matrix is particularly helpful in looking at interactions between two
subsystems. For more information on using course matrices, seeCourse
Design Matrix